


I'll Be With You

by QwerTY (Jaerontaemo)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Convenience Store, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Boys Kissing, Cashier Lee Taeyong, Comfort, Comfort No Hurt, Cute, Cute Ending, Everyone Is Alive, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff without Plot, Happy Ending, How Do I Tag, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, JaeYong - Freeform, Jaeyong centric, Lots of narration, M/M, Natural Disasters, No Angst, No Plot/Plotless, No Smut, One Shot, Post-Apocalypse, Short One Shot, Shy Lee Taeyong, Soft Lee Taeyong, Taeyong is cute, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 07:22:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23967589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaerontaemo/pseuds/QwerTY
Summary: Taeyong thought he was going to have another normal, boring day at work. He thought wrong.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	I'll Be With You

**Author's Note:**

> So someone requested that I make a jaeyong post apocalyptic one shot. However, I couldnt really think of what to write so this may not even be post apocalyptic. Who the hell cares at this point, cause I sure as hell don't (yes I do)
> 
> Enjoy reading this crap which I dont know what to tag cause nothings really going on. This ain't proofread.

Taeyong sighed as he stacked the packaged pastries on the shelf. It was another slow and quiet day at his workplace — the convenience store. 

Not that he minded the pace, it only made it more boring without having customers. Sadly, he wasn't allowed to slack off on the job regardless of any customers being inside. 

He flipped through the pages of one of the magazines he grabbed on display, and walked back to the staff only counter. He had already finished the entire top row this week and had now started the second of the three shelves. He sighed heavily, absentmindedly glancing over the pictured celebrities. 

Just then he heard the jingle of the door alerting him a patron had walked in. "Welcome," he shouted before glancing up to see a tall brown-haired male walking by. 

The said male glanced briefly at him giving a smile, exposing his dimples. Taeyong thought he was probably a popular guy at school just by his appearance and then he felt weird for making assumptions about a complete stranger. 

He snapped out of his mental debate to resume looking at the pages of the magazine. He would ooccasionally peer up at the tall male as he browsed the aisles. Taeyong didn't understand why he felt so self conscious, perhaps it was the fact they were the only two in the store and the blaring silence that echoed emphasizing each movement they each made. 

Once the other boy had collected all the items he needed he made his way to the cashing counter. Taeyong quickly shoved the magazine aside clearing the countertop in preparation for the goods and smiled politely. 

"Will that be all?" Taeyong asked. He looked up at the boy to find him staring at him with the same pleasant look from earlier. "Yes," he simply replied with a euphonious voice. 

"C-Cash or credit?" Taeyong sputtered, once he was through scanning the items. "Cash-" the boy said reaching to his back pockets when the ground began to shake. 

The walls of the store began to ruffle, bits of debris falling from the ceiling. "Get down!" Taeyong shouted as he fell to the floor, bracing his back against the counter, clutching his legs to his chest. The other male crouched down on the opposite side of the counter, holding his hands over his head to protect himself from the dust.

The rumbling became louder with much impact as the lights flickered and shelves started to tumble over. A shard of glass fell from the light shade above, slicing into the other boy's forearm and causing him to let out a huge hiss. 

"Come here, quick!" Taeyong exclaimed as he reached an arm out under the opening below the countertop towards the other male. The other grasped his hand and crawled towards Taeyong to the other end of the cashing counter.

Taeyong shifted over, huddling in the corner as the other moved closer so they both were sheltered by the tabletop. 

They stayed in their positions for what seemed like fifteen minutes. That was the longest earthquake they had ever experienced. The ground still shook in pulsatile trembles as the natural disaster began to subside. 

Once it had calmed, the two boys stared at each other in bewilderment. The store was now dimly lit from the busted lighting and the electricity wiring might have been affected as well. Only light from outside shone giving them enough lighting to make out objects. 

Pieces of rubble occasionally fell from the ceiling which the two boys fortunately remained sheltered from by the wooden countertop. The faint sound of alarms going off outside could be heard.

The other male glanced down to the name tag over the left breast of Taeyongs shirt. "Are you alright, Taeyong?" He asked in uncertainty. "How do you-," Taeyong looked stunned but then looked at the metal plate on his shirt displaying his name. "Oh," he said, embarrassed. He had momentarily forgotten that he had a name tag. 

"Whats your name?" Taeyong questioned him. "Jaehyun, so are you okay?" He questioned, eyes searching the other males body for signs of injury. "I'm okay." Taeyong smiled shyly, nodding. "Are you okay, Jaehyun?" Taeyong said, finally glimpsing the sizable gash on his arm. Jaehyun turned to face him and followed his gaze to his arm. "Yes, it's not too bad." 

After a few minutes the trembles died down completely. Jaehyun peered around the corner through the opening to see the store shelves disheveled and toppled over in ruin. 

"I think it's over now. I'm gonna have a look outside, stay here." Jaehyun declared before easing himself up off of the floor. "Okay," Taeyong replied. Jaehyun then went to crawl beneath the countertop, back to the other side.

He supported himself, raising to his feet and stepping over the rubble. He took careful steps, noticing the obvious slant of the floor as he approached the door and could hear the tiles cracking with each step he took. 

He held on to the counter next to the door and glanced around seeing the uprooted trees, ruined pavements and roadway outside. 

He looked down and could see a massive sinkhole in the front of the store. "Damn," he exclaimed. "What is it?" He looked over to see Taeyong standing behind the counter. "There's a huge hole in the front of the door. I think we're stuck here for now." Jaehyun explained. Taeyongs eyes widened in horror and he made his way closer to Jaehyun to see for himself. 

"Careful," Jaehyun said and as if on cue Taeyong missed a step, and began sliding down the sloped flooring towards the door. "Ahhh!!"

Jaehyun grabbed hold of him with his free hand. He groaned as he struggled to brace himself, holding on for dear life to the counter and pulling Taeyong towards him and away from danger. 

Taeyong abruptly collided into Jaehyuns chest from the force of the pull but the other didn't lose his balance. "Oof.. T-Thanks. That was close." Taeyong muttered and looked up to see Jaehyun staring down at him with a small grin. "Yeah, you nearly fell through." Taeyong nervously chuckled and they both went back to stay behind the counter, somehow feeling more secure. 

They sat down in their original positions. Taeyong then checked one of the cupboards and found a first aid kit. "Give me your arm" he said which Jaehyun obeyed immediately. 

He gingerly dabbed antiseptic to the wound and gently blew at the area for it to dry before placing a bandaid over it. "Thank you," Jaehyun said then pulled out his phone to check the time. That's when he noticed there was no signal. "There's no bars, literally. What the hell happened outside?"

"I couldn't get a good look but it felt like a huge earthquake." Taeyong reasoned. "That was much more than just a simple earthquake, that hole is massive! It's like a crater landed or something." Taeyong bit his nails, trying to think. "If there's no signal, how do we call someone? Do you think the emergency line still works?"

Jaehyun snapped his fingers, "good idea!" he began to dial 119, but the dial tone came instantly. "Shit, it doesn't go through..." he dropped his phone in his lap and ran his hand through his hair. "At least we have food and a bathroom." He joked, after noticing the panicked expression on the others face. 

Taeyong couldn't understand what was going on. Everything had just been fine minutes ago. If Jaehyun had not walked inside the store he would have been stuck alone and possibly had fallen to his doom. Just the thought sent shivers down his spine. 

"So what do we do now?" He asked brokenly, glossy eyes on the brink of shedding tears. He was no good during crisis. Jaehyun thought for a moment then chose to distract the other from the present situation, if remotely possible, "I guess we could kill some time. How old are you, Taeyong?" 

"I'm twenty-four." He replied with a small voice. "Oh wow, I'm twenty-one. I guess I should call you hyung?" He gave a dimpled smile. "That's not necessary....given the you know situation." The older waved his hand around and smiled wearily back. 

They continued to talk about themselves sharing personal details, such as the fact that Taeyong was currently an Arts major in College and Jaehyun was a freshman studying literature. 

Soon, Taeyong came to realize his initial assumption about the younger had been wrong as he wasn't much of a social butterfly, as claimed by himself. They even shared their hobbies and music preferences, much of which they could say they shared.

When the sun had set and they laid beside each other on the cold tiled floor. Taeyong laid on his back while Jaehyun laid on his side, turned to the wall. The older stared at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. He exhaled and finally shut his eyes hoping he would somehow drift off.

  
Taeyong grabbed two bottles of water from the busted beverage cooler. He had to be careful not to step on the broken shards of glass. The temperature of the bottles had already gone tepid. He then walked over to a stand to collect two packets of honey buns and stepped over the fallen obstacles. 

It has been a few days since they've been trapped inside the store. Fortunately for them, as Jaehyun said, they had food and a bathroom at their disposal. Nonetheless, in Taeyongs mind he couldn't shake the uneasiness of being stuck there forever. What if no one found them? Was his family looking for him? These questions plagued his mind daily. 

He made his way back behind the counter where they chose to stay. When they weren't eating, sleeping or talking about their life, their days were mostly spent passing the time by playing various games. They used food as their reward and a finger flick to the forehead as punishment to the loser. Taeyong, unfortunately was the one that lost most of the time. However, he was almost certain the younger was holding out when he would give him his punishment and that made him slightly relieved. 

"I wonder if anyone knows where we are. It's been a few days and still no sign of anyone." Taeyong muttered lowly, chewing his food unenthusiastically. "I doubt anyone even cares where I am." Jaehyun said softly. "Hmm?" The older looked towards him and he shook his head. "It's nothing.."

"Do you think there's anyone else out there?" The older asked, speaking his worries. He took a seat and passed the water and honey bun to Jaehyun who received them. "Hmmm...I dunno." Jaehyun turned to the him. 

"What if we're the only ones alive..." he began, "and.... aliens abducted everyone else" he squeezed the pastry bag until it gave a loud pop, opening as a result.

Taeyong startled at the sound, holding on to his chest to calm his heart. He then began to breathe erratically. "What's happening? Taeyong are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you" he placed the food down, placing a hand on the olders upper back and patting it comfortingly. "It's okay, it's okay," he repeated but he didn't calm and continued to breathe heavily. 

Taeyong could feel his heart beating like it would jump out of his chest. The anxiety and fears he's been having in his mind were heightened causing him to have a panic attack. Jaehyun began to worry and swiftly held Taeyongs face in the palm of his hands and brought their lips together.

The older was frozen by the sudden pressure on his lips that he caught his breath with a gasp and retracted once he had come to his senses. "W-What was that for?" He asked softly. He could feel the heat rising over his cheeks. 

Jaehyun scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. "I'm not sure. It works in the movies." His ears burned from embarrassment. Taeyong then laughed as he too was embarrassed. 

"I could do it again, if you're still not calm...." The younger teased, giving a flirtatious wink. Taeyong waved his hands frantically side to side. "No, that's....that's okay. I'm fine now....t-thanks..." he averted his eyes, choosing to focus on the random infographic posters plastered on the wall. 

The day drew to an end and the two went to bed, both conscious of their own breathing and movements. Taeyong thought, if the kiss was supposed to calm him down, it did the opposite. His mind was now occupied by other thoughts. 

The morning came without warning and Jaehyun was awoken to the whirring of machinery and faint sounds of voices. He rubbed his eyes and glanced down to see the older still fast asleep. He quickly made his way to the store entrance in hopes of seeing what all the commotion was outside. 

As he got closer the sounds were more clearer. He could hear the yells of workers and seeing some men in firefighting gear outside clearing the streets with cranes and lifters. 

Once he was a few steps away from the door he saw a man in the basket of a bucket truck, who came closer to peep inside the window. "Taeyong, Taeyong wake up! Someone's outside." He yelled causing the older to groan and jump up. "What? Really?" Taeyong stood abruptly then saw the man at the door. 

"Hey, there's people inside!" The man yelled and then replaced his hands on the glass of the door to look inside again. "Hold on, we're gonna tear the door off. Step back, okay?" He instructed. Jaehyun nodded showing that he understood and stepped back to where Taeyong stood.

The two boys looked at each other, smiling with relief apparent on both their faces. They were finally going to be rescued and could return home. Suddenly a wave of sadness came over Taeyong and his smile faltered. 

"What is it? Are you not feeling well?" The younger questioned with concern. "No...it's just, I'm relieved." He decided not to tell Jaehyun that he was melancholic they weren't going to be together anymore. 

These past few days, being alone together and relying on each other made him feel a bit despondent and sorrowful. The fact that they were now being rescued was bittersweet.

After the workers successfully removed the doors, the same man came to get them into the basket and exit the store. Their eyes burnt from the bright sun which shone outside. As the boom retracted them from the store they looked around taking notice of the devastation around them. 

There were similar sinkholes around the road in different places, some cars were totaled and trees and light posts were uprooted and toppled over to the ground. There were a few fires ablaze which firefighters were effortful in putting out. 

They were led to the safe zone where an ambulance awaited them to check their vitals and make sure they were fine. Taeyong was taken to be questioned on his family information in order to contact and reunite with them. In fact, his parents were the ones who had filed a missing persons report and stated that he was last known to be working. 

He glanced over to the youngers direction who was seated on the back of an open ambulance getting stitches to the cut on his forearm. Once the officer was through with the questioning, Taeyong walked over to Jaehyun who glanced up to him with a smile. 

Jaehyun scooted over to make room for him to sit. Taeyong rested his hands, swinging his legs back and forth while staring at the workers cleaning the mess. Soon he felt a ticklish sensation and he looked down to see the youngers fingers on his. 

His eyes flew up to see Jaehyun still smiling at him. He raised his brows in question. "So...wanna hang out sometime?" The younger spoke, his lips quirked upward at the corner. Taeyong stared at him for a few seconds, reeling over how strange the whole situation was. 

He had just been rescued and here was the most gorgeous guy he had ever seen asking him out after being trapped together. He briefly laughed hysterically causing the younger to stare at him with a confused expression. "Yes, that'd be nice." He said and looked down to his feet, swaying them once again. 

The end.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I had a running bet with my friend on how long this one would be and whether or not I could write a short one shot. I feel so proud, although I had to leave out details (which felt strange) it was refreshing. I have no idea what a post apocalypse is, like what the hell would I even see and so this happened.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
